03/15/2007 in Grantmaking

Foundation Awards $3.5 Million in March

CLEVELAND OH — The George Gund Foundation made grants at its first quarterly meeting of 2007 to support planning for six innovative new schools in the Cleveland Municipal School District and to encourage new residents and businesses to move into downtown Cleveland.

A $300,000 grant will provide funds for planning and curriculum design, principal and teacher recruitment, student recruitment and marketing and consulting assistance for the six “opportunity” schools slated to open in the fall of 2007. These include four single gender K-8 academies, a residential school for high school-aged boys and a STEM (science, technology and engineering) academy.

The Downtown Cleveland Alliance received $208,750 for a variety of projects aimed at making downtown “the most compelling place to live, work and visit in the region.”

The grants were among 67 totaling $3,477,250 made by Gund Trustees at the Foundation’s March meeting.

Other grants of interest included:

  • $125,000 over two years to the Institute for Conservation Leadership to provide leadership training and technical assistance for Ohio environmental organizations.
  • Up to $25,000 to the Cleveland Municipal School District to develop a strategic plan for arts education.
  • $100,000 to Mental Health Services for Homeless Persons for renovation and expansion of its Payne Avenue facilities.
  • $150,000 over two years to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks for advocacy work and for expansion of the Benefit Bank, a web-based tool to help low-income individuals and families determine their eligibility for a variety of state and federal assistance programs.
  • $38,000 to the Cleveland Botanical Garden to develop and implement an organizational sustainability plan.
  • $66,500 over two years to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center for the Sexual Assault Public Policy and Advocacy Project.

The George Gund Foundation was established in 1952 by George Gund, former chairman of the Cleveland Trust Company. The Foundation funds programs that enhance our understanding of the physical and social environment in which we live and increase our ability to cope with its changing requirements. Grants are made quarterly in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts. Foundation commitments to date have totaled almost $487 million.

For further information contact:
Deena M. Epstein (216)241.3114